Audi RS Q3 vs BMW 330d & Merc A45

A list. Buying a car should always start with a list of things you need it to do, way, way ahead of a list of things you want it to be. Some things will be more important than others, obviously. Those of us with a mob of children would find it inconvenient to have to strap toddlers to a luggage carrier on the back of a two-seat roadster, and the RSPCA gets animated if you lob a Great Dane in a top box, even if you drill air holes. So start with the basics. Budget, obviously. Insurance, certainly. But it takes a bit more than that these days, given the number of cars on offer. Oh sure, you can set yourself a maximum, graze eBay and buy a Ferrari for 20 grand, but you'll end up with a pretty ornament for the drive, bijou oil puddles and likely a thick sheaf of papers from a divorce lawyer. Real life gets in the way.

Words: Tom FordPictures: Lee Brimble

This feature was originally published in the December 2013 issue of Top Gear magazine